Key Points
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Lok Sabha Thursday called for strict adherence to failsafe measures by Indian Railways to boost passenger safety while flagging certain procedural lapses during railway maintenance works that led to cable faults...
The PAC, chaired by senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in its report tabled in Parliament also pointed out lacunae in adhering to Joint Procedure Orders (JPO) relating to the digging work in vicinity of signalling, electrical and telecommunication cables...
Referring to the Balasore train tragedy that claimed 291 lives, the committee said, In light of the potential accidents that could arise due to cable cuts, the committee emphatically urge the Ministry to prioritise protection and maintenance of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) communication system...
The recent derailment of Train No. 12841, Coromandel Expressserves as a stark reminder of the serious consequences such incidents may have, the committee said, asking the Railways Ministry to take immediate action and invest in advanced technology for proactive fault detection...
They (the PAC) have therefore recommended that the Ministry of Railways float standard tender and enforce stringent JPO adherence by incorporating a Penalty Clause in all contract and work orders, a statement from the Lok Sabha secretariat said.. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)..
